Chevrolet Silverado News

Fuel prices are soaring across the board whether it is petrol or diesel. Some drivers are being more affected than others as lower fuel efficiency contributes to higher refuelling costs. Here are the most expensive cars to run currently in Australia based on fuel efficiency. Other contributing factors to the high fuel costs on this list include the fact many of the cars have big fuel tanks and require premium fuel.Fuel prices have been calculated using the average prices for fuel in New South Wales and at an average of 15,000km driven per year. Among the heaviest guzzlers is the Nissan Patrol four-wheel drive, with its 5.6-litre V8 drinking fuel at a rate of 14.4L/100km. Its 140-litre fuel tank and requirement for premium unleaded petrol means it costs $364 per fill-up and a total yearly cost of $5617.28. The Patrol will move to a more efficient 3.5-litre six-cylinder twin-turbo petrol, which is expected to reduce fuel costs. The Ford Mustang sports car is another V8 on this list, with its 5.0-litre unit registering average fuel efficiency at 13.6L/100km and a yearly cost of $5310.27.Ford’s other representative is the Ranger Raptor high-end ute, powered by a twin-turbo six-cylinder petrol engine costing $4482.76 per year. The Ineos Grenadier off-roader is the most expensive model to run and costs $5618.50 a year to run, in part due to it being diesel, which has been the fuel type that has increased the most. The Lexus GX550 has refuelling costs of $208 per fill-up currently, costing $4800 for the year, along with nearly $3000 for the Jeep Gladiator, which unlike many on this list can run off E10 fuel.The 6.2-litre petrol V8 found in the Chevrolet Silverado full-size pick-up has an economy of more than 12 litres per 100km, costing $4,356.30 over the year.  Genesis’ GV70 luxury SUV costs more $4400 per year in fuel, a similar figure to the supercharged 5.0-litre V8 variants of the Land Rover Defender. Highest fuel efficiency new vehicles on sale under $150,000 

With the hammer predicted to drop on EV subsides in the coming weeks, there are growing calls to instead shine the spotlight on Australia's ute segment, where similar tax breaks exist for "commercial vehicles."

Why do the full-sized American dual-cab pick-ups cost so much in Australia?In 2019, the price gap between the range-topping Ford Ranger Raptor mid-sized ute from $75,990 and the cheapest Ram 1500 Express from $79,950, was less than $5000.But, while today’s Raptor has jumped to $90,690, the least-expensive Ram has leaped to $141,950 in Laramie Sport and Rebel grades.The price difference between the two utes is 10 times more than what it used to be.So, what gives, especially when, back in its US home market, said Rams kick off from just over $A92,000 post-currency conversion. Even with the cost of shipping, shouldn’t the 1500 slip in at under $100K?As it turns out, not a chance.Not even with lower ex-factory pricing for third-party importers Ateco Automotive, since the Ram, like all of the full-sized American utes, must undergo highly complex and very expensive transformation processes before and after each model lands on Australian soil.One that goes well beyond swapping the steering wheel over to the proper side.To start with, even prior to launch, there are mandatory Australian compliance and Australian Design Rules certification assessments required to be conducted in conjunction with the original manufacturer and factory. This can take months or years to complete.Once the green light is given, and a suitable vehicle engineering firm such as the Walkinshaw Automotive Group is chosen (as is the case with Ram as well as General Motors Special Vehicles’ Chevrolet Silverado and the Toyota Tundra), the utes can then be shipped over to the various remanufacturing facilities in Australia.Post customs, we’re talking about traditional production-line factory processes here, complete with all the necessary specialised equipment and skills required to handle intricate conversions.It’s worth keeping in mind that all the utes are imported as complete vehicles, in original left-hand drive (LHD) configuration, from North America, before being stripped down to thousands of pieces in Melbourne, in preparation for right-hand drive (RHD) conversion. Engines, body panels, lights, axles, wheels, dashboards, seats, trim, wiring looms… the works.One of the upshots of all this is the level of Australian engineering expertise that has been kept alive since local full-vehicle manufacturing ceased here in 2017. Many of the employees are ex Holden, Ford and Toyota.Taking in management, engineering, production-line and supplier-related personnel, the headcount in Australia alone is said to exceed 3000 people between all four brands.And still the costs add up.Then the utes undergo the remanufacturing processes, using bespoke parts necessary to meet both RHD and ADR requirements.Note that these can run up to 500 or more unique pieces per vehicle, depending on model, with many sourced within Australia using local suppliers, though some original North American factory assistance does also occur at times.It’s also worth bearing in mind that some of these parts can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to tool up here.Some vehicles require over 80 man-hours to complete the conversion job. Ram says its 200-plus production-line staff can make up to 20 utes per day, or 100 per week, depending on demand.Plus, significant investment has already been undertaken to boost production capacity, in larger and more efficient production facilities at Walkinshaw Automotive Group in the lead up to the latest Ram, Silverado and Tundra.Whether these currently run at their intended capacity following the 17.5 per cent sales downturn in full-sized American utes in Australia is not known.All this has to happen before the finished, RHD utes leave their remanufacturing facilities, to be stored and then trucked to dealers right around the country. Distribution is yet another massive expense that needs to be factored in.Then there is the added cost of meeting customer expectations.While nobody will confirm this on the record, we understand that the Australian remanufacturing processes extend to significantly improving the quality compared to the original factory source, creating extra cost to the models sold here.With over 800,000 F-Series trucks (making it America’s best-selling vehicle, period), 577,000 Silverados (at number two) and 374,000 Rams (in fifth spot overall) sold in the USA last year, the market is hyper-competitive, meaning costs are cut to keep prices low and production is fast to meet demand.The step-up in quality for Australians extends to ordering higher-specification audio, display screens, seating and trim components from the manufacturer, or replacing inferior parts with better locally-supplied items. Hard plastics and fibreglass materials just won’t cut it at the retail prices required to make a profit on these utes.Furthermore, local consumers are used to a high degree of equipment and demand best-possible safety, adding tens of thousands to the bottom line.Little wonder, then, that each model now starts at well over $120,000 on the road when it finally makes it to dealer forecourts throughout Australia, extending to nearly $200,000 for luxury grades and over one-quarter of a million dollars for specialty versions like the (now discontinued but still in stock) high-performance Ram TRX.Whether the market is willing to sustain six-figure utes at profitable volumes is another matter, but at least now you know why American pick-ups are so expensive in 2026.

Is Australia’s fascination with XXL utes waning?Ten years on from the introduction of the first Ram full-sized pick-up series converted from left-hand drive (LHD) to right-hand drive (RHD) in Melbourne, what was shaping up as a growing segment with massive promise has instead floundered in recent times.In 2025, despite recent introductions of new and/or improved models from Ram, Ford, General Motors and Toyota, sales in the Pick-Up/CC Utes above $100,000 category in Australia tumbled by 17.5 per cent compared to the year before.This has resulted in just 8763 registrations – down from 10,611 units the year before – between four main players: Ram 1500/2500/3500, Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and Heavy Duty, Ford F-150 and Toyota Tundra.A very small pool for such big fish to hunt in. And yet there are further pitfalls that lay ahead for the not-so-humble American pick-up as we know it.There are currently other, smaller firms importing and converting specific models from the USA vying for largely the same market.One of the higher-profile ones is Brisbane-based AusEV, that has specialised in distributing and even exporting locally-remanufactured RHD versions of the Ford F-150 Lightning electric vehicle (EV) since 2024. Its main buyers are commercial, mining and agriculture based.Now representing somewhat of a bargain amongst full-sized utes, AUEEV’s Lightning in base Pro 98kWh guise has just had its price slashed by an almost unbelievable $60,000, from $169,990 to $109,990, before on-road costs.This makes it the least-expensive big ute currently offered in Australia, undercutting the cheapest, which happens to be the turbo V6-petrol powered F-150 that Ford Australia also has remanufactured from LHD but by a different entity, by about $5000.With last month’s announcement that global Lightning production has already ceased due to a lack of sales and steep losses, AusEV says that the F-150 Lightning pricing reflects its run-out mode status, ahead of a petrol-electric hybrid replacement – dubbed F-150 Lightning EREV (Extended Range EV) – taking over from 2027.Whatever the case, it’s another thorn in Ford Australia’s side, with its own F-150 finding just 792 buyers last year, due in part to stop-sale actions as a result of technical issues, that are said to have since been resolved with the recently-launched Series II models.Now, whether the F-150 can also fend off further internal competition in the form of the high-profile Ranger Super Duty, which offers some of its towing capabilities but for much less money, remains to be seen.The F-150’s 2025 sales tally was even beaten by the Tundra’s disappointing 837 units, even though it costs substantially more, though whether the Toyota is profitable as a result is not known.Finally, the big ute market in Australia has also come under pressure from Chinese utes like the BYD Shark 6 PHEV (plug-in hybrid EV) and GWM Cannon Alpha, which are slightly larger than most traditional mid-sized utes.At the Cannon’s 2024 local debut, a spokesperson even referred to it as straddling the two ute size classes, though the tape measure suggests this is optimistic.So, what’s changed in the market to cause the big-ute sales decline? Runaway pricing must surely factor strongly.Back in 2018, Ram had enjoyed surprisingly strong sales in a specialist market largely all to its own, thanks to the DS-series 1500 being successfully touted as “Eating Utes for Breakfast” from around $80,000. To put that into context, the Ford Ranger Wildtrak only cost about $5K less.Whilst lacking the latter’s sophistication, safety and finesse, the 1500 boasted both impressive girth and an evocative V8 Hemi gurgle, capturing an enthusiastic outer-suburban and rural niche where size and bulk are assets, not liabilities.But by 2024, the DS-series 1500 had been superseded by the far-more high-tech DT-series, starting from $142K. While the Ram has remained the most popular big ute in its class for eight years running, at 2674 units last year, its share slid by over 17 per cent.Exacerbating the situation is the decision to drop the old Hemi V8 for a high-tech six-cylinder turbo-petrol powertrain which, on paper, is better in every major metric, including performance and economy.But while hardcore fans have complained loud enough worldwide for Ram to reintroduce the V8 in America this year, Australians may have to wait much longer for its return.That said, there are still plenty of unsold 2024 model-year DT 1500 V8s available at dealers around Australia at the time of writing, so maybe the market for such pick-ups has been satiated anyway.Either way, with the high cost of remanufacturing today’s far-more highly-specified utes from LHD to RHD in Australia, it seems almost certain that the days of sub-$100K pricing for these big utes are gone – along with the consumers who bought these in the first place.Will American pick-up sales turn around? Don’t hold your breath.

One brand sticks with 'no replacement for displacement' philosophy.

ANCAP turns gaze to big American pick-ups on Australian roads.

Ram Trucks Australia (RTA) has released retail pricing for its Heavy Duty (HD) range of full-sized trucks, and for once, despite improvements across the board, they have remained the same as before.

A US pick-up has joined the brewing warranty war.Chevrolet has announced a five-year unlimited kilometre warranty across its Silverado range to boost buyer confidence.This new warranty scheme offers a two-year increase from the previous three-year warranty. It applies to all three Silverado models sold from 1 October 2025, which includes the base 1500 LTZ to the 1500 ZR2 and the top-of-the-range 2500 HD.It also comes with five years 24/7 roadside assistance.The changes coincide with a price rise of $4500 to the Silverado 1500.The Silverado 1500 LTZ Premium now kicks off at $134,500 (before on-road costs) and the Silverado 1500 ZR2 now starts at $144,900.There is no equipment change for the LTZ Premium, but the ZR2 gets new exterior paint options and front park assist tech.The Silverado has been a popular choice in the high-end ute market with more than 2500 sales of the 1500 up to August 2025.Once imported to Australia, the American-built ute is adapted to right-hand drive in a Melbourne factory.A five-year warranty brings the Silverado into line with many of its competitors including Ford’s F-150 and the Toyota Tundra. It beats RAM’s pick-up range, which offers three years/100,000km.The Silverado’s warranty isn't groundbreaking and is now considered industry standard.Warranties are becoming an ever-more valuable selling point for car companies, with many brands advancing their schemes. Kia and Hyundai now offer seven-year warranties, while MG, Nissan and Mitsubishi has a ten-year conditional option. These conditional warranties are often subject to factors such as on-time and regular dealer-based servicing for them to apply.The increased warranty represents greater trust from Chevrolet for its hard-working ute that is used in a variety of environments from off-roading to long-distance cruising.Managing Director of GM Australia and New Zealand Jess Bala said a longer warranty fits the multi-purpose nature of the vehicle.“We know how our owners love to use their Silverado, both during the working week and on the weekends, so introducing an unlimited-kilometre warranty is something we know they will love,” she said.“The Silverado is a vehicle with a reputation forged by strength, durability and trust, and its passionate owners know they can rely on their truck to get the job done, no matter how tough. This change cements that reputation even further.”

Is the electric ute running out of charge already? Ram’s recent decision to scrap plans for an electric-powered version of its popular 1500 pickup may prove to be a turning point for the broader ute community.

To borrow a line from Mark Twain, reports of the death of the V8 engine are greatly exaggerated.